LORETO SANCTUARY, Square

Hi, my name’s Rick, and I’m your personal guide. Along with MyWoWo, I’d like to welcome you to one of the wonders of the world. Today I’ll be accompanying you on your visit to the Loreto Sanctuary, one of the most delightful Baroque buildings in Prague, in the heart of the monumental Hradcany district. It is near the Castle, which it is linked to by a road on which you can see the sixteenth-century Hradcany Town Hall. On the same street once stood the house of Peter Parler, the architect who designed the Cathedral and Charles Bridge.

The sanctuary dominates Loreto Square with its lively shapes, slender central tower and pale plasterwork. This is one of the most beautiful squares in Prague, and is the heart of the Hradcany district, outside the Castle. The huge sloping space, with a large flower bed in the center, was created in 1703, when the area was cleared of tumbledown houses and an old cemetery.

On the stroke of every hour, you can hear a hymn played by the famous 27-bell carillon in the tower of the sanctuary. Also looking onto the square is the simple Capuchin Church, dating to 1601....